The festival features 285 booths showcasing traditional Vietnamese products, Buddhist publications, and various services to meet the needs of Buddhist followers and visitors attending the Vesak events.

Highlights of the festival include a ceremony to hoist a 500-square-meter Great Buddhist flag ahead of the official Vesak opening, and a flower lantern lighting ritual to pray for national peace and prosperity, with 35,000 lanterns and 12,000 participants.

The event also includes exhibitions of ancient scriptures and national treasures, as well as artistic performances by Vietnamese artists and international troupes from China, India, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia.

Also on May 3, in celebration of the 2025 UN Day of Vesak, the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association, in coordination with the Vietnam Institute of Buddhist Studies, launched an exhibition and award ceremony for the photography contest “Buddhist Wisdom: Human Dignity and Peace.”

Launched from January 20 to March 31, the contest attracted 1,446 entries from 216 photographers nationwide. The photos vividly depict the profound humanistic values of Buddhism, such as compassion, wisdom, altruism, peace, and harmony, and richly portray Buddhist cultural heritage, from festivals and rituals to sacred sites and the monastic life. Several works also honor Vesak from historical, cultural, and spiritual perspectives.

The jury selected 107 outstanding works to be exhibited for monks, nuns, Buddhist followers, and the general public.

Vietnam Buddhist Sangha celebrates Lord Buddha's birthday

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) held a grand ceremony in Hanoi on May 22, the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, to mark the Lord Buddha’s birthday (Vesak Day).